Josef K. wakes on the morning of his 30th birthday to find two men have come to arrest him. They do not say for what. Over the next year he desperately tries to find out what he's been accused of, why he's been accused and if there is any way to escape his fate.

A 20th-century Classic

The Trial is one of Franz Kafka's most well-known works. He wrote the novel 1914–15 but never finished it, and it was not published until 1925, a year after his death. Like much of Kafka's work, The Trial is grimly funny in its nightmarish depiction of the futility of human existence.

Music Theatre Wales

Since its creation in 1988, Music Theatre Wales has become a pioneering force in contemporary opera in the UK, and in 2002 became the Royal Opera House's first Associate Company. The company also has a long association with composer Philip Glass, giving the first UK performance of his opera The Fall of the House of Usher in 1989 and in 2010 staging the UK premiere of his In the Penal Colony, also based on a Kafka work. The Trial is Glass's first work created specifically for Music Theatre Wales, and celebrates the company's 25th birthday.

Director Michael McCarthy has described The Trial as 'a parable for any society at any time, and indeed for any individual'. His production, with designs by Simon Banham and lighting design by Ace McCarron, places Josef K. in a space that feels like a social experiment – 'he's going to be stuck in there and we're going to watch him'. To McCarthy, Josef K. is 'a very compelling character: a study of modern man in a state of paranoia'.

]]>http://www.roh.org.uk/news/opera-essentials-philip-glasss-the-trial/feed0Watch: Philip Glass introduces The Trial - ‘It's a wise-comedy that goes right to the heart of social questions'http://www.roh.org.uk/news/philip-glass-introduces-the-trial-its-a-wise-comedy-that-goes-right-to-the-heart-of-social-questions
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‘Kafka was way beyond everybody in his vision of what the world was really like,’ says Philip Glass of the author whose work has inspired his new opera, The Trial. ‘[His writing] is so stark, that it’s scary. He thought his writing was very funny but at the same time he saw the political and social world we are involved in with a clarity that very few writers have ever seen.’

The opera, which will be directed by Michael McCarthy and features a libretto by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton, was created specially for Music Theatre Wales, and is Glass’s second ‘pocket’ opera based on the writings of Franz Kafka. It follows In the Penal Colony, which had its premiere in 2010.

'For you as the reader, it's like looking at a picture book,’ says Glass of the process of adapting a Kafka novel into an opera. ‘That makes it easy to stage, because he tells you what to do. Sometimes the music can follow the image exactly, but [occasionally] we start moving away from it, and the further away you get, the more it allows the spectator to participate in the interpretation.’

‘This will be a piece of real entertainment. It’s quite serious, but also hilariously funny. It’s kind of like a wise-comedy, but at the same time, it goes to the heart of social questions.’

Philip Glass’s new opera The Trial, which features a libretto by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton, will have its world premiere in the Linbury Studio Theatre on 10 October.

It is Glass’s second ‘pocket’ opera based on the writings of Kafka. The story, described by Director Michael McCarthy as a ‘parable for any society at any time and for any individual’, follows a bank clerk who is arrested one day for reasons unknown.

‘A man wakes up expecting to find his breakfast by his bed, and instead finds two men who have come to arrest him for reasons we never discover,’ explains Christopher. ‘He spends the next year desperately trying to find out why he’s been accused… and to escape his fate.’

‘[The audience] will be captivated by the music of Philip Glass,’ says Michael. ‘It draws you in: at moments it is extremely beautiful and subtle, while at other moments, [there is] this driving rhythm moving you forwards. It will be an intensely musical experience.’

The Trial runs from 10-18 October 2014. General booking opens on 15 July. It is a co-commission and co-production with Music Theatre Wales, Theater Magdeburg and Scottish Opera.

Since its creation in 1988, Music Theatre Wales has become a pioneering force in contemporary opera in the UK with a growing international reputation. The company, directed by Michael McCarthy and Michael Rafferty, has created nearly 30 productions and 14 world premieres, presenting high quality, innovative work to audiences across the UK and Europe. In 2002, it became the first Associate Company of the Royal Opera House, and in 2010 presented In the Penal Colony in the Linbury Studio Theatre. A chamber opera by minimalist composer Phillip Glass, it was based on Franz Kafka’s dark and gruesome short story of the same name.

Music Theatre Wales’s latest work, a thought-provoking double bill, explores the power of imagination and memory. In the Locked Room was inspired by the Thomas Hardy short story, An Imaginative Woman. Composer Huw Watkins teams up with former collaborator David Harsent, who also wrote the libretto for Harrison Birtwhistle’s The Minotaur. The result is a beautifully written drama that follows the tale of lonely housewife Ella as she creates an imaginary love affair. Find out more about their collaborative process.

Watch the trailer for In the Locked Room:

Ghost Patrol, created by composer by Stuart MacRae and award-winning crime novelist Louise Welsh, follows two war veterans who meet by chance and, as their relationship develops, unravel the memories of their traumatic past.

Music Theatre Wales will be resident at the Linbury Studio Theatre from Thursday 27 September to Saturday 29 September. From there, the production will visit Oxford, Cambridge, Basingstoke, Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Manchestera and Mold. Find out full tour details.